Near enough my birthday. So yes.

Has anyone been to the Three Singhs on Sticker Lane? It looks nice from the outside, is it any good?

We went on work do just before xmas, it's fine, although some inverted snobs on here may think it too "whitey". The bar isn't particularly cheap but the food is good and reasonably priced, good surroundings and service, try to go later than earlier or you'll be eating by yourself.

The 18th to be precise!

If anyone fancies joining me for a curry they will be more than welcome, though I imagine I'll be somewhere in the Ukraine or Poland at the time.

We'll celebrate in your absence

I’ll pick up the gauntlet as I’d assume I’m one of the worst offenders.

I don’t see it as inverted snobbery but as common sense and is based on what do I want from a visit to a curry house and what do I consider to be value. My thinking goes like thiste.

Compare and contrast somewhere like Karachi or Kashmir where you can have 3 ‘courses’ for less than £6 with a Mumtaz, Agraahs, Akbars or indeed Three Singhs where you can pay more than double that just for a main course. The prices in the latter places aren’t higher because the food costs more to prepare but because there are a range of those extra costs loaded on (the décor/lighting/uniforms/car parks etc) to create an [iexperience[/i.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing though and doesn’t necessarily mean the food will be poor because there is a focus on the [iexperience [/ifactors.

For a works doo a more expensive place is ideal – not everyone likes curry, let alone likes good curry, some people feel safer in a fancy establishment, its probably a special occasion so you want to go somewhere fancy to match it (and don’t mind paying more for the one off ) and most of the people there will be at least as bothered about getting pi[is[/ised up as having a good meal so a bar is important. No problem with that.

The people that annoy me though are those that routinely go to these sort of places and herald them as something wonderful or even just patronise them frequently, claiming its not because of the experience but because of the food. I find that as nonsensical as it is self delusional.

The prices are higher for non food related factors – they’re paying for the experience and not the food but don’t like to admit it to themselves or others. Moreover, these sort of places recognise that their market is not one where food is important but experience is and tailor their menu and methods accordingly meaning that the food itself is frequently not as good as significantly cheaper places who only have the quality of their food to market themselves with, as they have the luxury of targeting the experience market. Take for example, reviews on here of Agraahs (by me) and the Three Singhs (by someone else) - the food is pretty variable despite the prices.

I’ve recently added reviews of visits to the Golden Bengal in Leeds and Mumtaz that were for occasions and fitted the bill very well. I paid a lot more but got food that was good at Mumtaz and excellent at the GB so I didn’t mind it too much but wouldn’t go to either regularly as it’s the food I go out for not the décor etc. For everyday curries I want high quality at low cost and if it can be busy at 7pm and doesn’t offer all the trimmings it probably offers both of those.


As regards the Three Singhs I wouldn't go there unless it was a group doo where I had no choice. The name just suggests servility and pandering to the sort of whitey ars[ie[/iholes I refer to as delusional above. I might be missing out on something special but for my requirements for good food first and foremost I doubt it.

Nail firmly hit on head, but why "whitey"

Its an APism used to describe the sort of clientele I mentioned above - white people who like all the trimmings, but wouldn't know a decent curry if it got up and danced on their table.

If my curry ever gets up and dances on my table, I'm leaving - decent curry or not.

While I agree to a certain extent with what was said, and I do believe Mumtaz is up there with that, as when I went there, the curry was no better (maybe go as far as saying "not as good"icon_wink.gif as the likes of International, Punjab etc.

However I do believe Akbars is different. If you ignore the lighting, bar, fancy waiters etc., the best two curries I've ever had, were at Akbars. Better than any I've had at any of the other curry houses, and that had absolutely nothing to do with anything other than the taste of the food.

It's certainly not my frequent curry house (that would be the International, where I'll probably pop tonight!), but as far as the best curry I've had from a pure taste point of view, it is Akbars.

I agree, too many people think places like that are the best simply because of non food related reasons, but I can't hide away from the fact they have still done the best curry I've had (and it is as good every time I've ordered it). And I've been to a lot of curry houses in the last 10 years.

I couldn't say about the Aagrah and other ones as I've not been to them.

Just because a place is "whitey" though, shouldn't bias you on the food being top quality.

I'd go along with all that Dilligaf.

I think the Aagrah mainly relies upon reputation as it was one of the first generation of "whitey" curry houses. It has however been left way behind.

Zouk's at the top of Leeds Rd good for breakfasts

I think places like Aagrah, Akbars & Shah Jehan become victims of their own success. People here were raving about the latter 2 before they won their awards when they were relatively small places; Shah Jehan I think still has the little place on Manchester Road. As they were not on my usual route i never called there before they expanded. I've been to Akbars 3 times but only eaten once; we got fed up of waiting behind the whitey lager crowd at the bar, despite reserving a table. The food was ok but not memorable. Shah Jehan took over the excellent & underrated Eastern Delight, but did smack of that empire subservience, the food being good though.
The original Aagrah in Shipley I went to a few times on works do's & enjoyed it every time. Since it has moved & expanded I've been on a few business lunches with suits who think buffet food is the real deal. The food was average at best, but I wasn't paying. I've also been on evenings on do's & with other couples & it has ranged from excellent to poor. Given the choice i wouldn't go again. I'd rather go to the local Shama in Bingley (there's also one in Shipley which I've not tried). Though there is a bar of sorts & the waiters are dressed up there is no element of sycophancy, the waiters call you mate & you can watch the food being prepared in front of you if you get a take away.

That's a big selling point. Any restaurant that makes feel like Colonel Blimp doesn't get my business.